Cavalry
by Rydia Asuka
Summary: Yuri's bored, Flynn's...not free, but since when did Yuri ever care? Poor Flynn, he would never know what hit him when his best friend decides they need to go on an adventure. Patty, Karol, Raven, and Repede end up along for the ride.
1. Chapter 1

_Well, would you look at that…yet another snippet from me. I'm __**so**__ good at the whole 'finishing my other fics' thing. It's not even funny, eh? XD _

_In all seriousness, though, this is just a little something I did for class. My fan fiction class. Best. Class. Ever. End of story. Basically, we had were given the option of writing a fic for class, so I did. This one. (Please bear in mind that this **was** written for class, so if some things seem needlessly drawn-out, that's probably why.)  
_

_The reason behind it is that, in class one day, we got to talking about how, in the fandoms we had been reading, friendship fics were not very well done. So I decided to tackle a friendship fic. Yuri and Flynn were the obvious choice to me, so that was easy._

_Later that night, I was playing Vesperia. I was trying to get Karol's 'Chirpy Fighter' title, and to do so I had 'Stand Alone' on Yuri and Karol, so Brucis could beat up on Karol while Yuri just chilled. (Couldn't very well depend of Karol to kill the thing when I needed it dead...) _

_Anyway, inspiration struck, and this ridiculous piece was born. The first part is what was actually submitted to my Prof; Part 2 is nearly done, and will be posted Friday (I hope)._

_Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this rather ridiculous result of my boredom. XD Reviews are always appreciated! _

Disclaimer: Tales of Vesperia is the property of Namco, not me.

Spoiler Warning: the whole game, guys. The whole game...

* * *

_**Cavalry**_

**Part 1**

"Yuri, this is insanity! You're going to get us both in a lot of trouble."

Rolling his eyes, Yuri snorted. "What? The Great and Mighty Commandant Scifo is afraid to break the rules once in awhile?"

"You know what I mean, Yuri," the blond muttered back with a barely suppressed sigh. "And stop calling me that, it just comes out sounding mocking."

"Oh, my bad. Sorry, _Commandant_."

At that, Flynn did sigh. "You're insufferable."

Much to Flynn's chagrin, Yuri grinned in obvious triumph. If there had ever been a person born to get under Flynn's skin, it was the dark-haired swordsman.

"_Anyway_," Flynn muttered tiredly, "mind finally telling me why we're here in the first place?" As he spoke, the blond gestured to the night-darkened forest they were walking through. The path was broad, but it was still no stretch of the imagination to envision the monsters that normally inhabited Egothor Forest watching them from the deep shadows of the trees. "I can certainly think of places I'd rather be."

"Aw, there's somewhere you'd rather be than out here in the woods, just you and I?" the dark-haired swordsman teased, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Sighing, the young knight planted his hand over Yuri's face and pushed the other man away. "First off, we're hardly alone," he muttered, gesturing behind them to where Repede and Karol were trailing them, the boy looking suitably terrified. "Secondly, yes."

"Ouch, Commandant, that was harsh."

Ignoring him, Flynn carried right on speaking, "And don't bother trying to evade the question, Yuri. Answer me, or I'm leaving right now."

"Oh? And just how are you going to get back?"

"Need I remind you that Aurnion is not all that far away?" Flynn demanded with a sigh. "Now answer me."

With a sigh, Yuri finally complied. Clearly he was tired of Flynn not rising to his bait. Not that the blond cared in the slightest.

"I have something I want you to help me with."

"...excuse me?"

"Well, see, I can't do it alone, so I was thinking that you could help me out..."

"What are you driving at, Yuri? Need I remind you that we're in the middle of _nowhere_? What could you possibly have to do?"

"It's a surprise."

"And what, pray tell, sort of surprise requires me, Karol, Repede, you, and a lot of rope?"

Yuri winked. "That's the surprise."

"You know I hate surprises, Yuri."

"Really? Hm, and here I thought you liked them. You used to play enough pranks o-"

A loud cough interrupted him, as an abashed looking Flynn glanced back hurriedly at the leader of Brave Vesperia before turning to his closest friend once again.

"Yuri! You cannot just go around saying things like that! Never mind the people of the empire finding out about that, but our alliance with the Union is fragile a—"

Yuri's loud scoff cut him off neatly. "Finding out what, Flynn? That the empire's commandant used to be a notorious prankster worse than even me? What's the big deal? That was years ago!"

"Yuri! That's not the point! Karol's right back there! He has authority in the Union, now, and..."

"And what, Flynn? He's _fourteen_. He'd still be playing pranks himself, if given the chance."

Flynn could not hold it back any longer, as he felt a string of chuckles burst forth.

Shooting his friend an imploring glance, Yuri asked, "Mind sharing the joke?"

"Hahah, sorry, Yuri. I was just thinking that you probably _still_ play pranks, or at least would if you could."

At that, Yuri could not help but grin. "You know me too well."

The remainder of the walk passed in relative peace, save for a few whimpers from the boss of Brave Vesperia.

* * *

"Yuri, what the hell is that?" Flynn demanded, blue eyes wide. Honestly, they had been walking half the night when suddenly Yuri had led them into the trees to approach a small clearing from the side. Closeted within the clearing was an enormous monster. Its brown body was covered in sharp scales that caught the moonlight. Running underneath its lithe form was a stripe of black, the dark scales almost making the creature appear to be floating in the darkness. Its long, serpentine tail swished back and forth with a force that made Flynn hope never to be hit by it.

Marching up its tail was a row of sharp spines that ended just before its withers. Its head was relatively small, yet still sported two yellow bull horns. The neck of the creature made Flynn think those horns were not there for show.

Yet, strangest of all, was that the monster's head sported what could only be called a pair of giant bat's wings. The leathery appendages were a pale blue inside, and towered straight up into the sky.

In short: the thing looked ridiculous.

"That, dear Flynn, is Brucis."

"Brucis?"

"Yep. Remember the eleven giganto monsters we took out? Well, you weren't there for all of them, but Brucis here is one of them."

"I...see, but what does this have to do with your 'surprise'?"

Flynn felt his stomach sink into his gut before he even heard Yuri's reply.

"He _is_ the surprise."

"...Yuri, what the hell?"

The dark-haired swordsman just smiled one of his many infuriating smiles and said, "We're gonna catch him!"

Flynn had no response for that.

"Here, help me rig these ropes between two trees."

Flynn barely snapped out of his stupor in time to catch the bundle of heavy rope being hurled his way. As the two worked, Flynn tried as hard as he could to figure out what exactly Yuri was thinking. Three people and a dog, out in the middle of the night try to catch a monster?

Did Yuri even know _how_ to think?

"You know it's gonna be fun. Admit it."

Flynn could not help but jump slightly when Yuri's breath hit his ear. Honestly, probably no one else on the planet could sneak up on him like that, but Yuri was just...Yuri.

"Yes, perhaps when Repede learns to fly."

"Never doubt Repede, Flynn," Yuri told him with a laugh. "He just might yet."

The blond could not hold back a slight chuckle at the image.

"Yes, well, you know what I mean."

"Yeah, and you know what _I_ mean. C'mon, Flynn. Admit it. This is gonna be fun."

As much as he would never say it out loud, the blond was starting to get excited. Only Yuri could do this to him. His best friend's enthusiastic attitude truly was catching. It was hard not to feel a little bit of excitement when looking at the stupid grin his friend currently wore.

"...maybe a little."

Grinning ear-to-ear, Yuri yanked the last knot firmly in place.

"Great! Then let's do this!"

"Do what, exactly?

"...and where's Karol?"

"Watching the packs," came the nonchalant reply.

"Oi, Boss. Do me a favour and toss me one of those poison bottles," the dark-haired male said, turning to address Karol.

"But you're not poisoned, Yuri," Flynn pointed out, confused as to what his friend was up to.

"I know."

Flynn knew that grin all too well. It was the one that said 'I'm about to do something really stupid,' but, sadly, Flynn had no way to stop it. Because he still had no idea what Yuri was doing.

So it was that the blond could only watch in horror as Yuri took the glass bottle, with its strong-smelling antidote, and hurtled it right at Karol.

With a sharp squeal, the brunet teen found himself coated in green liquid.

"Now, we run." Laughing like an idiot, Yuri grabbed Flynn's wrist and dragged the blond away as fast as either of them could more.

"W-wait! Yuri, what about Karol?!"

Flynn received no response, however, as Yuri suddenly jumped into the trees and took off through the thick foliage.

With a grumble, the blond knight hopped up after him, the two heading back in the direction of Karol. They were just in time, too. A sharp scream shattered the quiet of the clearing as Karol met Brucis. Attracted by the scent and noise, the monster had come over to investigate.

With a sharp neigh, he reared up, clawed, yellow feet pawing at the sky before he charged straight at the intruder: Karol.

Slightly ahead of Flynn, Yuri dropped down out of the trees, an action the blond instantly mirrored. Eyes moving quickly between Yuri, who was grabbing tightly onto the four long ends of extra rope making up the trap, and Karol, Flynn tried to figure out just what the hell was going on.

"Karol, duck under the ropes! Flynn, grab those ropes and stay where you are!"

It was at the moment that Flynn's brain _finally_ clicked into Yuri's asinine plan. If plan it was. The blond was tempted to believe that the dark-haired swordsman literally had just woken up that morning, went 'I'm going to catch Brucis today,' grabbed a few things—Flynn and Karol among them—and headed out here. Then he had proceeded to just...do whatever he felt like. Which had led them to this moment.

Watching as the young guild leader dove under the rough semi-circle of ropes that had been rigged up, Flynn grabbed his ends of the ropes and charged forward as Yuri did the same from the opposite direction.

"Repede, drive!"

The command came from two mouths at once as both young men keyed in on the dog to help them out. Like the well-trained knight's dog he was, former pride of the Nylen Corps., Repede dove forward, knife out between clenched and snarling teeth as he drove Brucis to the back of the makeshift pen. With the monster out of the way, Yuri and Flynn hurriedly sealed off the exit.

"Break, Repede!"

With no hesitation, Repede turned and bolted from the pen. With a shrill shriek, Brucis tried to follow, only to be foiled on every side by the well-strung pen. Sure, it was a hair-raising few moments, but it did hold.

Thank goodness Yuri had at least learned to tie knots correctly.

As both young men bent over panting, Flynn could not help but return Yuri's triumphant grin. It had been such an ill-thought-out plan, with no real mechanism, and a lack of information, and it was dangerous...but it had been so much fun.

"Told ya," Yuri muttered with a grin, collapsing onto the grass.

"Hm?" Flynn muttered in response as he followed suit, granted with more dignity.

"That was awesome! I didn't think we were gonna make it there, for a second."

"Yes ,well, perhaps that will teach you to plan in the future," Flynn lectured. If he showed Yuri his own glee, it would only encourage the hothead, which Flynn did not think the world could stand.

Yuri just laughed.

"So, now what?" Flynn asked after a moment, letting Yuri's merriment dwindle away.

"Well, in the morning, I vote we break him."

"...wait, you mean to ride him?"

"Uh, no. You do." That infuriating smile again. "Happy Birthday, Flynn!"

Oh. No.

* * *

Flynn was convinced his best friend was going to be dead by noon. Sure, the blond had always known that Yuri was horrifically impulsive and entirely too careless, but this took the cake. It really, really did.

"Dammit, Brucis!"

Flynn winced as his friend rolled hurriedly out of the makeshift pen, Brucis' pounding paws smacking the ground behind him.

"Yuri, you're going to get yourself killed," lectured the blond as his friend stood up and dusted himself off.

"Yeah, well, maybe I wouldn't if you'd _help_ _me_."

"What, and die with you? No thanks, someone needs to be here to bury your sorry corpse." Of course Flynn would never really let Yuri die, but that was far from the point. The point was that Yuri's ideas were terrible.

"Karol can bury us both!"

"No way, Yuri! You can rot!" the young guild-boss snapped. Clearly he was still bitter from the night before.

Flynn did not blame him.

Obviously ignoring the boy's ire, Yuri turned his attention back to the pen where a very worked-up Brucis was snorting and pawing at the ground. Following his friend's gaze, the blond shook his head slowly with a tired sigh. The poor monster was rearing, tossing its head, pawing, charging at the ropes, shrieking in rage, and just in general putting on a fantastic display of discontent with his new circumstances.

Somehow, Yuri had managed to rig a halter on the thing's head, with another rope strung underneath to act as some sort of reins. How Yuri had managed it, the blond did not even want to know. He was pretty sure Patty's abducted frying pan had been involved, however.

"You don't know what you're doing, Yuri," Flynn stated after a moment. "You're only making him hate you more."

"Oh, then how would you do it?" his friend demanded, huffing in annoyance.

Finally getting up, Flynn walked over to where Brucis was standing, rope reins dangling. With a sigh, he ducked under the rope wall to face the monster down.

At the sight of him, the monster reared up and charged to the other end of the pen. Once there, Brucis spun and leapt forward, charging hard for the blond. Calmly Flynn faced him down. Once Brucis was close enough, the young commandant jumped aside and grabbed the far rein. Due to Brucis' size, the blond was able to duck under him, catching the rope on one of the creature's legs. Using the monster's own momentum against it, Flynn tugged the rope sharply.

With a shrill whistle, Brucis fell. Before the dust had even settled, Flynn was on him. Keeping the rope's end caught on Brucis' leg, he wrapped the other end around one of the creature's horns and tied it off.

Yuri whistled as Flynn stepped back. All-in-all, Flynn had to admit it was not a bad job. In less than twenty seconds he had trapped Brucis on the ground, the awkward angle making if difficult for the monster to even snap the rope, as such an action would require poorly-developed neck muscles.

Grabbing the other rein, Flynn pulled Brucis' head to the side, further distorting the angle. Brucis was not getting out of this easily.

"Bring me an apple, Yuri."

"Huh?"

"He's omnivorous, right? The next step is an offer of peace. He needs to know we're not trying to kill him, or even harm him."

With a grunt, Yuri made his way over to the packs, only to return a moment later with several small, red apples.

Catching them as they were tossed his way, Flynn began offering them to the giganto one at a time. At first Brucis tossed his head away, butted them off of Flynn's hand, and tried to impale the man on his curved horns, yet, after awhile, Brucis started to pay just a hint of attention to the food. Still, he refused to take it from Flynn's hand.

Setting the apples down, the blond moved out of the pen.

"This could take weeks, you know."

Yuri shrugged. "So, it'll take weeks, then."

"Yuri, I don't have weeks. I shouldn't be here now, only you practically kidnapped me!

"Frankly, I think you need to let him go."

"No."

Flynn sighed. "Yuri, use your head for once."

"I am," Yuri snapped. "And here's what we'll do. We'll send Karol back to the Atherum and get him and Tokunaga to rig up a hold for Brucis while you and I lead him there. After that, we'll sail to Aurnion and build an enclosure there where we can train him."

"You're not keeping him in Aurnion."

"We'll make it a ways away," Yuri replied with a wave of his hand.

"And how do you propose we go about moving him? Even having his head and tripping him I had trouble bringing him down."

"We paralyse him, you know how, don't you?"

"Yuri, that's..." Flynn started to protest, only to realise that, as far as Yuri's ideas went, it actually was not that bad.

Well, aside from the whole 'bringing Brucis home with them' part.

"...not the worst idea you've ever had," he amended after a moment's thought. "Although this entire trip comes close."

"Great, that settles it! Karol?"

"Wait, Yu—"

"No way! I'm not going out there alone," the brunet muttered stubbornly.

"Yuri!"

"Repede, go with him," Yuri told the dog. "And can you two take most of the stuff with you? We're going to have our hands full. Great! See you two back at the ship."

"_Yuri_!"

"Oh, and don't forget the spare ropes."

And so it was decided without either Karol or Flynn getting a chance to say no.

* * *

Several hours later saw a very mismatched trio walking the plains of Hypionia, the Egothor Forest just behind them.

Yuri and Flynn walked one on each side of Brucis, who had been paralysed, each with one 'rein' firmly in hand. Aside from that, each of them held a rope that had been lashed to one of Brucis legs, Flynn having the front left, and Yuri the back right. Rope hobbles kept the large, horse-like monster from charging, should the paralysis wear off, and most of their remaining supplies had been lashed to the monster's tail to keep it from swinging and injuring one of them.

Of course, actually constraining Brucis as such had not been easy.

Patty's poor frying pan would never be the same again.

All-in-all, Flynn decided, Brucis actually was fairly secure. Hopefully it would hold all the way to Aurnion.

Wait, what was he thinking? They should _not_ be taking this monster anywhere! He should be left to roam the forest as he saw fit, not kept as a...pet, for lack of a better word.

Yet, somehow, Flynn had a weakness to Yuri; the dark-haired man always managed to get Flynn to do things against the blond's better judgement. Today was a prime example of that.

Actually, Flynn thought, his entire life was a pretty good example of Yuri manipulating him. Yuri just...had this air about him that got people moving. Flynn was not even certain if his friend knew it or not. That was how it always went, though. Yuri had an idea, he presented it, and suddenly everyone around was on board. Whatever the other man thought of himself, Flynn knew Yuri had charisma.

"There's the Atherum!"

The blond knight was startled out of his reverie when Yuri shouted, spooking Brucis, who then reared and tried to bolt.

After several minutes of fighting with the monster, minutes that soon stretched into hours, they managed to get him back under control and, by some miracle, onto the ship.

"This is never going to work, Yuri," Flynn muttered, eying the feeble hold that Karol and Tokunaga had constructed between them.

"You underestimate me, Flynn," the devious swordsman replied with a playful wink. "I have a plan."

Yes, and rappigs could fly.

"What is it, Yuri? I'm not really in the mood for your games right now," the young commandant muttered with a tired sigh.

"Oh, you'll see."

"Dammit, Yuri...!" Gritting his teeth, Flynn resisted the urge to smack Yuri upside the head. The man was completely insufferable! _Completely_!

"Hahah, relax, Flynn."

How was he supposed to _relax_? Yuri was...his best friend, by some miracle, but that was hardly the point! The man was also half insane, irresponsible, impulsive, reckless...

"Hey, Flynn, you home?"

The sight of Yuri's hand waving before his bright blue eyes snapped Flynn out of his stupor.

"Thought I'd lost you for a sec there, Commandant."

Rolling his eyes, Flynn let out what had to be the twelve-billionth sigh that day. "I am quite alright, thank you, Yuri."

"Aw, when're you gonna drop that whole soldier act? We're not in the empire anymore, loosen up."

Flynn wanted to hang him. Or at least reinitiate the bounty on his friend's head. Sure, he had been more lenient toward Yuri earlier, yet, by this point, he was too run-down and cranky to put up with Yuri's shenanigans.

"Alright, alright. No fancy tricks," Yuri finally agreed, sighing himself. "Man, you PMSing all of a sudden or something?

"Well, whatever. Let's just knock him out."

"F-for the whole trip?" Flynn's question fell on deaf ears, as Yuri was already charging the monster, frying-pan in hand. Flynn winced at the loud clang that resounded on contact. Patty's poor frying pan. It was not likely to survive to return to her at this rate.

Flynn's fears would prove unfounded. Somehow, _somehow_, Yuri had managed to keep Brucis down for the entire trip, and the blonde pirate's frying pan intact. How, Flynn had no idea. It was just another of the mysteries surrounding his friend. At least Flynn himself was finally free, though. Yuri could keep the remainder of his asinine plan to himself.

"I'll be heading to Aurnion, Yuri. You can do whatever you like."

"Yeah ,yeah. Just do me a favour and send the carpentry guild Aurnion faction to me, would ya?"

"Yeah, sure...you coming, Karol?" As the boy joined him, Flynn shot back, "And don't get killed."

* * *

It would be some months before Flynn heard from Yuri again. When he finally did, trust that Yuri would pull it off in the most spectacular manner he possibly could. It started as a disturbance in the city. The knights in the streets were yelling, running through the lanes with citizens, clearly trying to protect them even as they moved to safety.

Whatever the disturbance was, it was approaching the castle.

"Guard to me!" Flynn yelled out, summoning the Emperor's personal guard, and therefore Flynn's personal unit, to the forefront. Heading his own knights to the castle's gate, Flynn signalled the well-trained soldiers to fall into formation, with some heading for the throne room while the rest stayed by Flynn himself to address the threat. They were the last line of defence, should Ioder's life be in any danger.

Shouting orders to passing soldiers, Flynn soon had the noble's quarter sealed off, all of the gates closed and locked. Knights were sent scurrying through the city to protect both homesteads and the people.

"Captain Leblanc!" Flynn called out as the orange-clad knight trotted by. "Can you give me a rundown of what's happening?"

Pausing, the former lieutenant of the Schwann Brigade threw a hasty salute with his arm across his chest.

"Sir! It seems that a large monster has made it through the defences and is coming this way."

"And what about the units stationed in the Lower Quarter? Shouldn't they have stopped it by now?"

"Well, Sir, see, it's not really attacking anyone, just charging straight for the palace."

Well, that did not make any sense. The Lower Quarter had plenty of food these days, and there really was no other reason for monsters to attack, if not for food.

"Well, hopefully we can snipe it off when it hits the gate." Pausing, Flynn checked the formation of his men. Good, well trained soldiers every one of them.

"Go check on the emperor, Captain."

"Sir!" Saluting again, Leblanc took off into the castle.

Trusting Leblanc to see to Ioder personally, Flynn began ordering his archers into position.

"C-Commandant!"

Eyes shooting to the first gate at Lieutenant Sodia's cry, the blond caught his first sight of the creature that had been terrorising his city.

Oh...what the hell?!

"Brucis!" he yelled, stepping forward. And where Brucis was...

"Hey, Flynn!"

"Yuri Lowell."

"Lowell! Of all the damned stupid things you've done..."

"Enough, Sodia, I'll take care of it," Flynn ordered, a tired note to his tone. "Let them in."

Once the gates had been open, Yuri rode Brucis through, before lightly jumping down to grin at his friend.

"Long time no see!"

"Arrest him."

"W-what...what the hell, Flynn?!"

"Yuri, you and I are going to have a long talk later, but for now you're going to stew in a cell for awhile." Not waiting for a response, the blond turned and strode into the castle, issuing orders to his officers even as walked.

* * *

"You're a damned fool, Yuri Lowell. A damned fool!"

"Hey there, Flynn, I was just coming to visit," Yuri replied, shrugging, clearly not at all concerned with spending a few more hours in the castle's prison. He had spent enough hours there before, anyway. It was probably like coming home for the fool.

"On Brucis," the young commandant stated flatly, folding his arms. "Although congratulations on surviving training him."

"Oh, wasn't that hard."

"Right. I'm willing to bet you had a lot of help."

Yuri shrugged. "Maybe a bit."

"Patty? Never mind, don't answer that. Instead tell me what the hell you think you're doing."

"Just dropping off your present."

"My present?"

"Uh...yeah, Brucis. Don't tell me you forgot, Flynn. We caught him so you could be awesome when leading your cavalry! The commandant's gotta have the best ride, right?

"...Flynn?"

"Detain him for three days for disruption of peace."

"Aw, c'mon, Flynn! It was only a bit of fun!"

Flynn ignored him, disappearing up the stairs. Dear gosh, but was Yuri _ever_ going to grow up? Stupid question. Of course not.

"Now what am I going to do with that thing..." Flynn muttered as he walked. Trust Yuri to wander back into his life and throw everything back into chaos.

And Flynn would not have it any other way.


	2. Chapter 2

_Sorry, I know it's a bit late, but here's part 2, finally. In all honesty, I'm really not happy with how this came out, but I'm sick of working on it, so here. It's done. Hopefully you guys'll like it more than I do. XD _

_Credit for the idea of Yuri lassoing Brucis goes to Orangepotato. XD I just could not resist after she brought it up. _

_Other than that, I just hope you all enjoy. Reviews are love. :D _

_Also, I sincerely apologise for butchering Raven. D: And for just failing at parts of this chapter as a whole. Still, I do hope you can enjoy it, flaws and all..._

_ALSO, I realised I got the name of the ship wrong in the last part. I will be fixing that. D: And italisising it...  
_

Disclaimer: Tales of Vesperia is the property of Namco, not me.

* * *

_**Cavalry**_

**Part 2**

Seated on Flynn's windowsill, Yuri waited patiently for the opportune moment to, quite literally, scare the crap out of his best friend.

His chance arose when the blond, who had been working on filing paperwork at his desk, stood and stretched, clearly deciding that was enough for one night. Knowing that Flynn would move to shut the curtains, before heading deeper into his rooms where his actual sleeping quarters were, the dark-haired swordsman pressed his face firmly up against the glass and waited.

He was not disappointed. With a sharp gasp, the blond recoiled, grip flying from the curtain to the knife he always carried in his boot. After a second, Flynn relaxed, clearly recognising the smudged features of his best friend, who was laughing so hard by this point that he nearly fell from his precarious perch.

Balancing himself, Yuri's laughter stopped as the dark-blue curtains swung over the window, concealing the annoyed features of one Flynn Scifo.

"H-hey, Flynn!" he yelled, banging on the window, "Let me in! It's cold out here!"

"Hm, now where did I leave my hairbrush..."

"Dammit, Flynn! Let me in!"

"Oh, that's where I put that..."

"_Dammit, Flynn_! Let. Me. **In**." Or he was going to break the window. Damn be the consequences.

The room went silent for a moment, long enough for Yuri to decide that he was being ignored. Turning with an annoyed sigh, he shifted his weight and made to jump onto the roof below him. Before he could blink, the heavy glass swung out, catching him hard across the ass. With a strangled yelp, the dark-haired swordsman plunged forward.

"Y-Yuri!" With a sharp cry of his own, the blond reached out, snatching at the air in an effort to catch his best friend's pitching form. He was too late, however, as Yuri's darkly-clad form vanished into the dark night.

"_Yuri_!"

"Dammit. Scifo. You'll pay for that," Yuri grumbled from where he was tenuously hanging from the windowsill. "That's a promise." After having been hit, Yuri had twisted swiftly, catching the jutting edge with his right hand a moment before he had fallen to his potential death. Now, as he glared up at Flynn, it was quite possibly the other of them whose life was in danger.

"Yuri, you're alright!" the blond exclaimed, relief clear in his brilliant blue eyes.

"I'm not going to be if you don't stop gawking and pull me up."

Several minutes later saw the two friends slumped down in the plush furniture of Flynn's personal sitting room.

"Damn...nice place you got here."

"Shut up, Yuri," Flynn ordered, causing Yuri to smirk a bit at the formal tone. Honestly, Flynn as commandant was never going to cease to amuse Yuri...even if it was the fulfilment to their dreams. "Now, why don't you tell me why the hell you're here bothering me...especially considering you're supposed to be in jail."

Yuri had known _that _was coming. Luckily for him, he also had an answer.

"I got bored."

Nobody had said it had to be an _acceptable_ answer.

"Yuri..."

"What? The Old Man's the one who showed me how to break out of the palace."

"Yes, and normally when one breaks out of someplace, he doesn't turn around and break right back in," Flynn muttered, rolling his eyes. "And don't you dare blame this on Captain Schwann."

"I've never claimed to be normal."

"No, indeed you have not..."

"Besides, I never actually broke in. You let me in."

The blond soldier sighed. "Yuri..."

"Anyway, I never got a chance to tell you my story, so I'm here to do that," Yuri said, grinning evilly.

"Tell me what, Yuri?" Flynn asked, clearly on the defensive.

"About training Brucis."

"Get out."

"Aw, come on, Flynn. Aren't you a bit curious?" Yuri knew the blond was. It was just things like 'duty' and 'rank' that kept Flynn in line. The poor boy needed to be forced to lighten up once in awhile, before he drove himself mad.

"...if I tolerate you, will you go back to jail—and _stay_ there this time?"

Well. That was asking a lot, but Yuri supposed he owed Flynn that much, especially considering that his very presence was putting Flynn's position in danger. It was just that, having not seen Flynn in awhile, Yuri was worried about him. The blond was a workaholic who would run himself to death if left to his own devices. Someone had to watch out for him.

"Sure, sure," Yuri agreed, idly waving one hand.

"Very well, Yuri. You may speak."

What a show-off. Anyone could see Flynn wanted to know. At least, anyone whose name was 'Yuri Lowell' could.

"Aw, thanks, Commandant! Now that I have your permissi—"

"_Yuri_!"

"Alright, alright. Sheesh. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the silk sheets this morning..."

Glancing at each other, the two broke into helpless laughter.

It felt just like old times.

* * *

"Ya sure this is a good idea, Yuri?"

"'course not, Old Man. When do I ever have 'good' ideas? I'm doing this for the hell of it. So be sure to stay back in case you get trampled. I doubt your old bones could take it."

"Aw, Yuri. Look at ya, bein' so considerate ta this ol' man."

Pulling himself onto the newly-constructed fence, Yuri gazed in at where the huge monster was storming around the circular pen. This was going to be a challenge.

He liked challenges.

"Patty thinks Yuri-sama is being stupid, nano ja."

Yuri ignored the blonde pirate's statement, instead choosing to keep his keen, dark eyes on the distraught beast.

"So, how come the kid didn't join us?"

Yuri shrugged. "Likely still pissed at me," he replied, idly waving one hand. His mind was anywhere but on the conversation at hand.

"What exactly did ya do ta the poor thing ta make him so mad, Yuri?"

Instead of answering, Yuri jumped into the pen. Their conversation was boring, and Brucis was _right there_. Really, was there anything even pretending to be a hard decision in that?

He did not think so.

"Y-Yuri-sama!" Patty exclaimed, rising from where she had been making their supper to rush over to the fence.

"It's okay, Patty-chan," Raven supplied, leaning lazily against the fence. "Yuri's an idiot, but he's a good fighter."

Yuri rolled his eyes at the comment. Of course he was a good fighter! Patty did not need to be told that.

"Maybe Raven should go help him, nano ja."

"What, and risk breaking these ol' bones in the process? Yuri can handle it."

"Yeah, Patty!" Yuri yelled back, indignant. "I don't need old baggage helping me. I go—"

"Yuri-sama!"

"Yuri!"

* * *

Yuri woke sometime later to a throbbing pain in his skull. Sitting up groggily, he looked around to where the small group, consisting of Raven, Patty, and Repede, were sitting around a blazing fire. Holding his head, the onyx-eyed swordsman made his way over to the fire, slumping to the ground.

"Yuri-sama is awake, nano ja."

"Yeah, barely," he groaned out. "What the hell happened?"

"Ya got trampled. Patty-chan had ta risk her adorable self rescuin' ya."

"Yes, well. Maybe if you had moved your ass, she wouldn't have had to..."

"And risk my delicate self? You've got ta be jokin', Yuri. This ol' body could never handle it..."

"Patty did not mind, Yuri-sama! Patty had fun, nano ja!"

Somehow, something about the girl's definition of 'fun' had always unnerved Yuri... Sure, he liked a good fight as much as the next guy, but Patty's opinion of playing bordered on masochism at times.

Or sadism.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing one of you thinks highly enough of me to care whether I'm dead or not..." he muttered, rolling his eyes. A soft bark off to the side brought Yuri's eyes to his dog. "Okay, two of you do."

"Ya think I don't care about ya, Yuri? You're breakin' this ol' man's heart."

"Great, it'll match your head."

"Oh, pickin' on an ol' man...young 'uns these days don't care for their elders."

Ignoring Raven, Yuri turned to flash Patty a quick smile.

"Thank, Patty. I guess I'd be horse fodder if not for you, since old men are useless."

"Patty did not mind, nano ja!" the blonde chirped, completely overriding Raven's continued protests.

"You made supper?"

"Ah, the wonders of youth. So easily ignoring their elders..."

"Patty did, nano ja! Would Yuri-sama like some?" At that, the blonde girl pointed to the steaming pot resting over the fire. "Seafood stew, nano ja!"

"I'd love some, Patty." Getting up, the swordsman began spooning himself a heaping bowl. Sure, it was not as good as, say, cake, but Patty's seafood stew was still pretty amazing.

"Nobody cares for poor ol' Raven..."

As the night wore on, Repede joined Raven in howling.

* * *

"Okay, so let me get this straight," Flynn muttered, hands rubbing his temples gently, "Your first day on the job Patty, _Patty_, had to save your sorry ass?"

Yuri just shrugged, not bothering to hide the amusement on his face. "Hey, it's why I brought her along."

"...you brought her along to save your ass?"

"Well, yeah. And cook. You can't seriously think the Old Man was any use."

"Stop mocking Captain Schwann."

"Don't you mean 'Captain Raven?'" Yuri asked, still grinning broadly.

"Whatever. You're impossible, Yuri."

"I try."

Flynn sighed again, clearly frustrated. "Can you just get on with the story?"

"Whatever you say, _Commandant_."

"Yuri!"

* * *

The following morning dawned overcast, with the definite threat of rain. That fact was not enough to deter Yuri, however. Rising suitably early, he quickly cooked up a delicious fruit parfait for breakfast. Repede could take care of his own food, and Yuri really did not give a damn that the resident old man did not care for sweets.

If Raven wanted something else, he could damn well make it himself.

The sun was barely over the trees when Yuri strode over to Brucis' pen. The huge creature was sleeping in the centre of the compound, bringing a bit of a smirk to the devious swordsman's lips. This would make things easier.

With all of the lithe grace of a skilled assassin, Yuri was over the fence and striding forward, coil of rope firmly in one hand, sword in the other. He had almost made it to the monster when Brucis' tail shifted. With a tail that size, any motion could have disastrous results. Yuri managed to avoid physically getting hit, yet in the process of jumping out of the way, the end of the rope he was holding slipped free, hitting Brucis on the tail.

Aready awakening up as he was, that simple action was enough to wake him fully. Brucis' shrill shriek brought the entire camp to its feet, Patty, Raven, and Repede storming from the tents to investigate the commotion.

Not a soul offered help, the two humans sitting down to breakfast while Repede disappeared into the forest. Well. He did not need their help, anyway. He totally had this.

Swinging the rope's end at Brucis, Yuri managed to dissuade the creature from turning him into road kill, only to be sent flying at the lash from the monster's tail. Flipping in midair, Yuri landed gracefully on his feet. Evidently he was actually going to have to think over his approach to this.

"Sweets ain't good for this ol' man's teeth..."

Ignoring Raven's unnecessary commentary, Yuri eyed the distressed monster before him. Damn, but Brucis was worked up now. Clearly the beast was not a fan of waking up to someone trying to rope him. As Brucis stormed around the pen, the dark-haired vigilante could not help but sigh. "Damn, Flynn, I could really use you now." But no. Flynn was off being commandant, and there really was no way around that. Yuri had, in all honesty, taken enough of his friend's time. Flynn really should not have left the capital the other day, yet he had anyway. That was just how things were. Flynn had trusted him enough to temporarily leave him post. Yuri could not ask any more than that.

But he was digressing. Terribly. Now was not the time to think about what he did not have, it was time to make use of what he _did_ have. Admittedly, that was not a whole lot.

Well, he was Yuri Lowell, dammit; 'Improvisionist' extraordinaire. Lack of resources be damned, he was doing this.

Pity Brucis did not agree. The giganto reared up, front hooves pawing at the air before he dared another charge, horns aiming for Yuri's head. Tossing both swords and rope aside, Yuri met him head-on. With all of the lithe grace of a master swordsman, he caught one of the ropes hanging from the creature's head and used it to swing onto Brucis' back. The added weight sent Brucis into a mad bucking fit as he tried to dislodge his tormentor. Yuri clung on like a leech at feeding time.

Shifting up the beast's neck, he managed to get his right arm tangled in the series of ropes that were holding Brucis' wings together to keep him from flying off. Back before Brucis had first been released into his round pen, they had had to be firmly restrained, or else he would have just flown over the side. Flying had not been a problem, back in the woods where the trees' foliage was dense enough to keep something of his size from getting airborn, but out in the open was another matter entirely.

Wrapping the rope around his arm, Yuri held one of the stray reins in his left arm and tugged hard on it, trying to pull Brucis' head around. The tactic worked for a moment, as the giganto was thrown off balance and staggered. Then the unthinkable happened. With the combined pressure off Brucis' mad thrashing, coupled with Yuri's weight, the ropes restraining Brucis' wings gave, knots slipping and snapping. The dark-haired swordsman fell then, a loud gasp heaving from his body as he slammed into the newly-trampled earth.

Now, the construction guild had done its job, to be sure, the wooden fencing probably strong enough to hold back a rampaging, PMSing Rita. Yet it was not high enough. Yuri doubted anything could be high enough at this moment to hold back Brucis. With another piercing cry, he threw himself into a dead run, wings flexing like mad. In one, mighty heave, Brucis was up and over the fence. Luckily for Yuri, the ropes had come free from his arm, so he was not dragged along for the ride. That did not mean his arm did not ache, though. He did not even want to see the bruising.

Ignoring the pain for now, Yuri picked himself up, grabbed the coil of rope he had dropped before, and booted it over the fence.

By this point, Patty and Raven had been alerted to the commotion. Hurrying over, they met Yuri has he ran through the camp.

"What happened, Yuri?"

"Where's Repede?" Yuri asked instead, ignoring Raven's inquiry.

"He took off into the woods, nano ja! Yuri-sama is hurt. Never should have tried breaking Brucis on his own, nano ja..."

Latching onto the blonde's first snippet of information, Yuri opted to ignore the rest of the lecture. Bringing his fingers to his lips, Yuri whistled. "_Repede_!" Less than a minute passed before the blue-and-white dog was spotted, sprinting toward them at a dead run.

"C'mon, buddy." Motioning for the dog, the duo raced off in the direction of the rapidly receding dust cloud.

"Yuri, ya ain't gonna catch that thing that way.

Pausing, Yuri shot back, "And what would you suggest, Old Man?"

Yuri had to admit that the plan Raven outlined just might work.

* * *

"Wait, so Brucis _escaped_?"

"Erm, yep. I think that's what I said."

"Yuri! How could you? After all the trouble we went through—not to mention risking you Capel's life—and...!"

"Whoa there, Commandant. We caught him again, didn't we? We weren't completely helpless without your great and mighty presence," Yuri joked.

"I should send you back to the cells right now," the blond groaned, flopping tiredly back onto the couch's cushions.

Despite his display of discontent, Yuri could see that Flynn was really interested by this point.

"Right. Guess I'll take off, then."

"Yuri!"

* * *

"Mm, Patty-chan, that smells good. Warms the cockles of this ol' fellow's heart t'see a young 'un like you cookin' for her elders."

"Patty thinks Raven needs to shut up, nano ja."

Yuri laughed. Patty certainly was a character.

Despite the light banter, the atmosphere in the camp was tense. If this did not work, then Brucis was likely lost to them. While Raven and Patty did not particularly care, that was one huge loss Yuri was not about to accept. Ever.

Just then, a howl resonated through the forest, bringing everyone's heads up. Without waiting for the others, Yuri was bounding away, instantly recognising his dog's call. The others could take care of themselves, right now he had things to do.

Clambering to the top of Brucis pen, he coiled a thick, heavy rope around one post and knotted it off. Holding the large noose at the end in his left hand, he waited.

Meanwhile, Patty and Raven each threw themselves into their positions...and waited.

It was not long before the huge form of Brucis was spotted, meandering into the camp. Not far behind, Repede showed himself for the barest of moments, before vanishing into the ground again. The dog had been gone all morning, and for the better part of the afternoon, trailing the huge beast. His job had been to drive Brucis back to camp, while not letting the monster feed at all, in the hope that hunger would drive Brucis to come investigate the scents wafting in from the camp.

It seemed to have worked. Brucis scanned the area once before throwing himself at the abandoned cookery. Finding it almost completely empty, the monster gave a snort of frustration. At that exact moment, Patty swept the heavy tent tarp from the pile of roasted meat not too far from the pen. Hidden behind one of the pen's posts as she was, the blonde pirate was not immediately visible to Brucis, who was far more interested in the strong scents coming up from the food. With barely a moment's hesitation, he moved in and started eating.

At that moment, chaos struck. With a loud bark, Repede reappeared, teeth bared in a ferocious snarl. With a sharp scream, Brucis reared and tried to bolt. Hidden away in a tree, Raven's bow sang, sending an arrow, tied with an end of rope, into another tree, were it stuck firmly. With the other end of the rope tied to the limb Raven was resting on, it became an effective tripwire.

With a startled cry, Brucis fell, the force of his momentum causing the tree to shake, and the arrow to snap. Still, it served its purpose as the huge monster stumbled to his knees.

"Now, Yuri!"

Yuri needed no further cue. Standing up straight on the pen's boards, he swung the massive lasso.

"Take this, Brucis!" Letting the rope fly, he miraculously got the noose up over Brucis' wings, and down onto his neck.

Staggering to his feet, Brucis tried to charge forward, only to snap back as the rope went taut. The force of the creature's charge shook Yuri off balance, knocking him off of the fence. Twisting in midair, he landed lightly on his feet, triumphant smirk firmly in place.

"Gotcha now, Brucis."

Then the rope snapped.

"Dammit!" Lunging forward, Yuri caught the end of the rope.

"Yuri-sama!"

"Yuri!"

Bad idea, he very quickly realised as he was dragged along the ground. In the split second before his face became acquainted with a rock, he saw Raven and Repede flying toward them, then blackness took him.

* * *

"Yuri, you're an idiot."

"Thanks, Flynn."

"What the hell were you thinking? Lassoing Brucis, and then grabbing the rope? I'm amazed you weren't killed."

"Aw, gimme some credit, Flynn. You know it takes more than that to kill me."

"You're right. Your head _is_ made of rock."

"Hahah, you know me too well, I guess."

Yuri woke up after dark. Sitting up slowly, for the second time in two days, he gazed around groggily, finally spotting a familiar scene. Pushing himself upright, Yuri stumbled over to the fire and plopped down alongside his friends.

"Yuri, ya gotta stop pullin' those stunts."

"Did we get him?"

"I'm serious, Yuri, ya gotta stop tryin' ta get killed."

"Brucis. Do we have him?" Yuri asked again, with a barely suppressed sigh.

"Yes, nano ja," Patty finally answered, obviously not wanting the two to continue on as they were.

"So, what happened?"

With a sigh, Raven replied, "After ya passed out, Repede started chasin' the beast while Patty-chan got the gate open. After that, we just knocked 'im out an' tied his wings back up. He woke up just a little while ago."

"Good. I'll get him tomorrow."

"Yuri, have ya thought that maybe this is stupid? Have ya even thought at all? He's knocked ya out twice in two days. And next time, ya might not be so lucky..."

"Shut it, Old Man."

"I'm just sayin' that that blond pal o' yours wouldn't be too happy if we let ya kill yerself."

"Whatever. I'm going to bed."

As he walked away, Yuri heard Raven mutter, "Just stay safe, Yuri. I'd hate ta be the one ta have ta tell Flynn if somethin' happened ta ya..."

* * *

"Captain Schwann said that?"

"No, I'm just making this up as I go along."

"Yuri..."

"Honestly, Flynn, would you just let me finish?" Yuri asked, rolling his eyes. This sentimental stuff bothered him.

"Right. Sorry. Go ahead."

* * *

"Oof!"

"Maybe Yuri-sama should take a break..."

"I'm okay, Patty," Yuri replied, picking himself up from the dirt. "I just need to figure out how to keep him from throwing me off. I think I've almost got it! Just gimme another week or so."

"I made cake, nano ja."

"Be right there!" Jumping over the fence, Yuri made his way over to the small, clay oven Patty had constructed and plopped himself down.

"Ya aren't very considerate of this ol' man's teeth, Patty-chan."

"Shut it and make your own food, Old Man."

"Ouch, Yuri. These ol' bones can't handle the strain."

Yuri's patience was wearing thin, despite the face he tried to put on things. Raven's constant badgering was not helping, either.

"Yuri-sama seems tired," Patty commented, setting a plate of cake down beside the swordsman.

"Hm? Maybe. It's been a long day, Patty.

"Where are you going, Old Man?"

"Just sharin' my cake with ol' Brucy over there."

"The hell?"

"He's been workin' hard too, y'know."

"Yeah, working hard at tossing me in the dirt." And into the fence, and the gate...

"Exactly! He deserves somethin' for that."

"Right. Why not bake a pie for Alexei while you're at it?"

"I would, but this ol' body can't handle it."

"Not to mention that he's dead."

"Right, Yuri. There's that, too."

"Whatever, I think I'll just enjoy the cake myself."

"Suit yerself, Yuri."

"I will." With that, Yuri dug into the delicious, cake, murmuring praise to the blonde cook as he did so. Patty really was something.

"Say, Yuri. Have ya been feedin' this thing?"

Yuri looked up when Raven spoke, quirking one eyebrow as he did so. "Of course I have. Why the hell would you ask me something like that?"

"Well, it's just that he really seemed ta like Patty-chan's cake. I'm thinkin' ya should try givin' him sweets more often."

"Whatever, Old Man."

"Patty thinks Raven has a point, nano ja. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

Yuri laughed. "Alright, let's bake him a cake or something."

Much to Yuri's chagrin, the strategy, when used over the following few days, actually proved effective. It was not that he disliked it working, it was just that it meant Flynn and Raven were both right.

After a few days, Brucis was greeting him at the fence in the mornings, waiting impatiently for a candied apple, or some other sweet. In the evenings, the huge beast would call until he was brought a large slice of meat. This went on for days, weeks, and, eventually, months. With Patty's help and Raven's whining, the three managed to well and truly turn Brucis into a pet. It was only a matter of time until the creature trusted any of them enough to let them climb onto him.

"Whoo!" Yuri yelled from his perch on Brucis' back. Damn, but this thing could run. "This is awesome!"

"Yeah, yeah. But what're ya gonna do now? Ya got what ya wanted out of him."

"Well, you and Patty can head back to Aurnion and rejoin the guild, but me...I'm heading on a little trip."

"Yuri...what're ya plannin'?"

"Hahah, that's a surprise," was all Yuri said, winking.

"Why is it that when ya say surprise, I get the feelin' so people are gonna be scare out o' their hides?"

"Aww, you give me too much credit, Old Man." Although that gave Yuri an idea...

* * *

"So you're saying your stupidity was entirely _Captain Schwann's_ fault?"

"Raven. And yeah. He's the one who told me to scare everyone."

"I hardly find the believable, Yuri. An idea as idiotic as riding Brucis into the city could only be yours."

Yuri laughed, playful smirk on his lips.

"Well, how else was I supposed to get him here?"

"Easy," Flynn muttered, rolling his eyes. "You shouldn't have taken him here in the first place."

"Aww, but Flynn...after all the work we went through to catch him? Wouldn't that be a waste?"

"I hardly think so, Yuri. It would make sense. Then again, when do you _ever_ make sense?"

"Ouch, Commandant. That was harsh."

"Yes, well. If that's all, I believe you have a jail cell waiting for you?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just let me ask you one thing."

"What is it, Yuri?" Flynn asked, patience clearly running out.

"What'd you do with him?"

Flynn sighed. "He's in the royal stables, we had to knock out an entire row of stalls for him, though."

Yuri grinned. "Good to hear. Well, guess I'll be off, then." And without another word, Yuri was gone from the room, the curtain blowing slightly in the night breeze.

* * *

Back in the room, Flynn could not help but grin. He really _would_ look cool riding Brucis on the field, if ever there was need. And at least Yuri had not caused any real harm.

Perhaps he could see about releasing Yuri in the morning for 'good behaviour'. He owed his friend that much.


End file.
